HAD the parliamentary system of government been successful, Pakistan by now should have become prosperous instead of becoming dependent on loans from here, there and everywhere. After all, the system has been in place for as long as one can remember. As such, is it not evidence enough that the system is unworkable for us? And, is it not reason enough for our rulers and parliament to think about the causes of the prevailing state of affairs?

As a common Pakistani, I think the existing parliamentary system of government does not suit the country as it is the most expensive one. At the federal level, there is an upper house headed by a chairman as well as a lower house headed by a speaker, and comprising a seriously large number of senators and members of National Assembly (MNAs); there is a president and a prime minister with their own humongous secretariats; and there is a federal cabinet comprising all sorts of ministers, advisors, consultants and special assistants apparently to keep ‘everyone’ satisfied.

The matter does not end here. There are several government departments and hundreds of officials, if not thousands, to look after all the ‘dignitaries’ and of to provide them services and facilities of all kinds in the name of protocol and security. Likewise, in the provinces, there are governors, chief ministers, their cabinets and all the widespread paraphernalia they have.

Above all, millions of rupees are given to every parliamentarian in the name of development projects when all they know about and interested in doing is to build castles in the air. Thus, a big chunk of revenue collected through taxes or generated through exports is invariably utilised for the perks, projects, protocol as well as protection of those supposedly keeping the parliamentary system running. Is it the system facilitating the people, or is it the other way round?

Instead of the expensive parliamentary system, the nation should study different systems of government that are followed in the East and the West, and choose a relatively less expensive model to replicate in Pakistan.

For argument’s sake, we, as a nation, admire China for being a very resourceful and wealthy country. We envy its policies in the fields of agriculture, industry and socioeconomic disciplines. We also know that the Chinese form of government has played a crucial role over the last many decades in making the country what it happens to be today. While we always welcome the Chinese financial support both in the form of loans and investments, one wonders what restrains us from learning how the Chinese run the country.

M. Sharafat Ali Zia
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2024